The present invention relates generally to glass cutting equipment and method particularly for the cutting of glass tubes.
Currently in use are various types of tools and equipment for cutting glass tubes such equipment including diamond or tungsten carbide cutting wheels while other equipment utilizes a wire cutting element used in conjunction with a slurry. Later developments have utilized lasers for cutting. A common drawback to glass tube cutting equipment is their complexity resulting in such equipment being expensive, costly to operate and, in some instances requiring considerable power for operation. Other drawbacks reside in high breakage rates during cutting and loss of material by reason of sizeable kerfs. Glass articles when severed by sawing are more susceptible to cracking when compared with glass articles severed by fracturing. Other drawbacks to sawing or abrading glass articles are the set-up and cutting times involved.